Dunkerron Castle

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Ruined tower house in County Kerry, Ireland

title: "Dunkerron Castle" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["castles-in-county-kerry", "ruined-castles-in-the-republic-of-ireland"] description: "Ruined tower house in County Kerry, Ireland" topic_path: "geography/ireland" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunkerron_Castle" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Ruined tower house in County Kerry, Ireland ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox castle"]

FieldValue
nameDunkerron Castle
locationTemplenoe, County Kerry
nearest_townKenmare
countryIreland
imageCastles of Munster- Dunkerron, Kerry (2) (geograph 3037291).jpg
image_size280px
altTower house at Dunkerron
captionTower house at Dunkerron
typeTower house
coordinates
built13th century (Norman tower house), 16th century (Adjoining court house)
conditionRuin
height4 storeys
::

| name = Dunkerron Castle | location = Templenoe, County Kerry | nearest_town = Kenmare | country = Ireland | image = Castles of Munster- Dunkerron, Kerry (2) (geograph 3037291).jpg | image_size = 280px | alt = Tower house at Dunkerron | caption = Tower house at Dunkerron | type = Tower house | coordinates = | built = 13th century (Norman tower house), 16th century (Adjoining court house) | condition = Ruin | height = 4 storeys | events = | footnotes = Dunkerron Castle () is a ruined four-storey tower house located in Templenoe, near Kenmare, County Kerry, in south-west Ireland. The castle was the family seat of the O'Sullivan Mór family from the late 16th century.

History

The four-storey tower house was built in the 13th century on a limestone outcrop as a Norman (Carew) stronghold. Several later structures of the castle, including an enclosed court, date to the late 16th century, when Owen O'Sullivan became 'Chief of the Name' and acceded to the title of 'O'Sullivan Mór'. An inscribed plaque, dated 1596, recorded the castle's association with the O'Sullivan Mór and MacCarthy Reagh dynasties. The castle was the family seat of the O'Sullivan Mór for some time.

The main O'Sullivan Mór familial seat moved to nearby Cappanacush Castle during the 17th century, and antiquary Samuel Lewis noted that both castles were "traditionally said to have been defended" by their O'Sullivan Mór owners during the mid-17th century Cromwellian conquest of Ireland. The O'Sullivan castles and lands at Dunkerron and Cappanacush were confiscated following this conflict under the Act for the Settlement of Ireland 1652, and assigned to Cromwellian supporter William Petty. Later O'Sullivan attempts to have the lands returned were not successful.

By the 19th century, maps record the castle and court as being "in ruins", and a Victorian manor house, Dunkerron House, was built on the estate around that time.

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d0/Dunkerron_Castle_-Plaque_Inscription_of_1596-_Copy_by_Friar_O_Sullivan_as_pub_in_JCHAS_Vol_IV_1898.png" caption="Text from an inscribed stone which is dated 1596, and attributes certain works at the castle to Owen O'Sullivan Mór and his wife Sily Ní Donogh MacCarthy Reagh.Friar O'Sullivan's JCHAS article of 1896 places this plaque over the fireplace.[https://web.archive.org/web/20170103002334/http://corkhist.ie/wp-content/uploads/jfiles/1898/b1898-040.pdf] A later errata note to the JCHAS article places the plaque over a well in the demesne.[http://www.clanmaccarthysociety.org/Articles/KerryHistoryNotes.html]"] ::

Dunkerron Castle gives its name to the barony of Dunkerron, later divided into Dunkerron South (the southern part of the Iveragh Peninsula) and Dunkerron North (the area around MacGillycuddy's Reeks).

Title

One of the last members of a branch of the O'Sullivans was Donal O'Sullivan, who died on 16 April 1754, without issue or heirs. The title he bore, the "Prince of Dunkerron", became extinct on his death. The British monarchy did issue a peerage title of Baron Dunkeron to John Petty. (John Petty was Sheriff of Kerry from 1732, and a descendant of the William Petty to whom the lands had been given following the Cromwellian confiscations). The title assigned to Petty was not however related to the original title of the native Irish nobility.

References

References

  1. Gary B. O'Sullivan. (2007). "The Oak and Serpent". Lulu.com.
  2. Friar O'Sullivan (Muckross Abbey). (1898). "Ancient History of the Kingdom of Kerry". Journal of the Cork Historical & Archaeological Society.
  3. (1996). "The Iveragh peninsula: an archaeological survey of South Kerry". Cork University Press.
  4. Colin Breen. (2007). "An Archaeology of Southwest Ireland, 1570-1670". Four Courts Press.
  5. Windele, John. (1859). "Dunkerron Castle". Journal of the Kilkenny and South-East of Ireland Archaeological Society.
  6. William Betham. (1805). "The Baronetage of England ... Volume 5". Miller.
  7. George V. Du Noyer. (1859). "Notes on Sculptures and an Inscription Carved on a Chimney-Piece Preserved in the Building Attached to Dunkerron Castle". Journal of the Kilkenny and South-East of Ireland Archaeological Society.
  8. "The O'Sullivan Clan - History of the Clan". BearaTourism.com.
  9. Geoffrey Keating. (1723). "History of Ireland, Volumes 1-3". Irish Roots Cafe.
  10. "The History of Cappanacush Castle". Templenoe.net.
  11. Samuel Lewis. (1837). "Topographical Dictionary of Ireland". S. Lewis and Company.
  12. "NMS Database - Entry for Dunkerron (ref# KE092-026----)". National Monuments Service (NMS).
  13. (1897–1913). "OSI - Historical Mapping - 25" B&W Series - Dunkerron". Ordnance Survey of Ireland.
  14. "Dunkerron House". Dunkerron.ie.
  15. "Dunkerron House". NUI Galway.
  16. Friar O'Sullivan's JCHAS article of 1896 places this plaque over the fireplace.[https://web.archive.org/web/20170103002334/http://corkhist.ie/wp-content/uploads/jfiles/1898/b1898-040.pdf] A later errata note to the JCHAS article places the plaque over a well in the demesne.[http://www.clanmaccarthysociety.org/Articles/KerryHistoryNotes.html]
  17. John O'Hart. (1892). "Irish Pedigrees; or the Origin and Stem of the Irish Nation". Dublin, J. Duffy and Co.; New York, Benziger Brothers.

::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::

castles-in-county-kerryruined-castles-in-the-republic-of-ireland